Two young sisters from Stourbridge have reached new heights after climbing a 3,000ft mountain and raising over £1,500 for Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity.

Imogen and Hollie Shuttleworth, aged ten and six, journeyed to Snowdonia with their parents to take on the Tryfan Mountain in aid of the hospital’s sick kids after learning a family friend was being treated for cancer on the hospital’s oncology ward.

This wasn’t the Shuttleworth sisters’ first challenge for the charity however. Fundraising has become an annual tradition in their household. Between the pair, they have taken on abseils, night runs and sponsored walks, all to give something back to the hospital after Hollie herself underwent two operations at the hospital as a baby. Her first was when she was at just five-weeks-old, to correct a narrowing of the passage between the stomach and small intestine, which was stopping her food from passing through. Then, when she was two, she had a thyroglossal cyst removed from her neck.

With the help of their mum, Sam, the girls set about preparing for their mountain adventure, booking their places on a guided ascent, researching the route and, even when their original climb fell victim to COVID-19 cancellations, they used the extra time to train by walking 340km, the equivalent distance from home to Tryfan and back again.

On the day of their trek the sun shone over Imogen and Hollie as they forged their way along the route that challenges many adult walkers. With no set paths to the summit, the girls stamped through bogs, clambered over rocks and boulders bigger than them and stormed through waterfalls as their parents Sam and Carl followed, amazed by their daughters’ determination to reach the top.

Sam said: “I’m so proud of Imogen and Hollie for all of their fundraising challenges, but this one was particularly tough, and they really did show us adults up as they powered up to the summit.

“We’ve always fundraised to say thank you for our family’s care and experiences at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, but this time we wanted to do something in support of our friends and other families who may be going through a similarly tough time.”

Miranda Williams, Head of Public Fundraising at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, said: “What a pair of little superstars! Imogen and Hollie covered an incredible amount of ground in the lead up to their challenge, let alone climbing the mountain itself, and we couldn’t be more grateful for the support they’ve shown for our charity. The money they raised will go towards helping us do more for our brave patients and families on our oncology ward.”

If you’d like to donate to Birmingham Children's Hospital Charity you can do so here.